In September 2021, Biden was asked how he planned to address concerns about his age. He responded with a simple command: “Watch me.”
Much of the nation will be watching Biden give the State of the Union address on Thursday night — and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump landed the first blow.
According to public remarks from his chief of staff, Biden plans to reset his public image Thursday, a month after the special counsel’s report presented him as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”
HNot everyone seems primed for a reset. On Thursday, one of Donald Trump’s fundraising organizations released a negative advertisement as counter-programming — and so did House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
The House speaker said in a statement, “The American people don’t need empty words on a page for a ‘reset’; we need better policies and a real leader.”
The Trump-affiliated video hammered not only Biden’s frailty but also the fragile state of our union. The video said, “We can all see Joe Biden’s weakness. If Biden wins, can he even survive until 2029? The real question is, Can we?”
Johnson’s video spent more time on the chaos overseas.
“Weakness invites aggression,” Johnson said in the video, referring to the actions of Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. “America is at a breaking point.”
Johnson added, “In just three years, President Biden’s policies have rapidly accelerated American decline on every issue from the economy to national security and foreign policy.”
Axios described this upcoming speech as “what could well be the most important speech of his presidency.” Even Biden’s critics have acknowledged the importance of hearing directly from the president during an election year.
“The State of the Union address will offer the American people an opportunity to hear directly from the President – a rare occurrence during his tenure in office,” Johnson said.
Democrats remain divided in their expectations for the speech. On one hand, Rep. Ted Lieu pointed out Biden’s triumph over last year’s hecklers. On the other hand, an anonymous House Democrat, speaking to Axios, worried about Biden’s “ability to speak without blowing things.”
“We are all nervous,” the representative added.
Biden has said in past speeches that “the state of the union is strong.” Now, Biden is running out of time to convince his audience ahead of November.
Take a look —
If Biden wins, can he even survive till 2029? The real question is, can we? pic.twitter.com/2nFZGuC3l1
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) March 7, 2024
The state of our union under President Biden: three years of decline. pic.twitter.com/Da1KOIb3eR
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) March 7, 2024
The Horn editorial team